1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recessed electrical outlets, particularly wall mounted combination recessed electrical and telephone outlets. In more specific aspects, the present invention relates to a telecommunication and cordless device mounting apparatus and related methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of the rapid evolution of mobile communication equipment such as cordless telephones, the need for alternating current electrical power in conjunction with a telephone connection has increased. Cordless devices such as cordless telephones typically include a “base station” which includes a receptacle for low voltage alternating current or direct current electrical power and a telephone connection jack. The base station also often includes a pair of slots and wall mounting screws to mount the base station vertically on a wall for easy access. The second part of the cordless phone includes a “handset” that is battery-operated and charged from the base station. Typically, separate electrical outlets and telephone connection outlets are generally spaced apart to receive respective separate electric power cords and telephone cords running from the base station of the cordless phone. Each of the separate electrical outlets and telephone connection jacks is generally mounted flush with an adjacent wall surface. Such mounting necessitates that electrical plugs and telephone jack connectors extend outwardly from the surrounding wall surface, and the respective electric power cord and the telephone cord be strung to the base station. The wiring is especially visually obtrusive where the base station is mounted to the building wall. Also, due to the nature of the power requirements of cordless telephone base stations, the “plug” for the base station is normally a rather large alternating current adapter (transformer), some much larger than the others. The conventional electric power plugs and alternating current adapters may be partially dislodged as a result of inadvertent contact by persons or objects. A partial dislodgement generally exposes the prongs of the electrical plug, which exposure creates an electrical hazard. Additionally, both the electrical power cord and telephone cord are not only unsightly, but excess lengths of the cords can get tangled and can potentially cause a tripping hazard.
Various attempts have been made to minimize excessive lengths of power and telephone cord located between the base station of the cordless telephone and to hide or consolidate the electric power outlet and telephone connection jacks. The first attempts to minimize the excess wire included the use of twist or zip ties and/or mounting a telephone base station as close as possible to the telephone connection jack and electrical power outlet. Other more sophisticated methodologies followed that were modeled after various recessed electrical outlets typically utilized in exterior electrical outlets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,832, by Shotey, titled “Recessed Electrical Outlet with Cover” describes but one example of a recessed exterior electrical outlet. Shotey describes a wall mounted recessed electrical outlet having two recessed female outlets mounted in a housing for receiving and housing two conventional 120 volt male electrical power plugs. The electrical outlet is primarily designed to prevent water or foreign matter contamination. The female outlets are enclosed in the housing which is connected to a nearby building stud through use of a pair of angled nails, one positioned through guides on the upper surface of the housing, and the other positioned through guides on the lower surface of the housing. An extension bracket is positioned at the face of the female outlets and within the housing. A hinged cover is connected to the face of the extension bracket. Two recesses in the bottom of the hinged cover allow passage of the electrical cord for two male electrical power plugs. The outlet housing and female outlets are aligned perpendicular to the adjacent wall surface. Due to the limited space within the wall, the outlet fails to provide sufficient space for an alternating current adapter plug and fails to provide for or contemplate a telephone connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,134, by Nattel, titled “Combination Power and Communication Electrical Wall Terminal” describes an example of a combination electrical wall terminal (outlet) which incorporates a telephone connection jack. The terminal includes a recessed junction box secured laterally to an adjacent wall stud for installation of the female electrical outlets. The female electrical outlets are attached to an open front end of the junction box. A pair of support flanges are mounted to and at a right angle with a sidewall of the junction box and extend laterally along the wallboard for mounting a wall plate incorporating a telephone connection jack. This device helps keep the electric power cord and telephone cord generally at the same location but, of course, fails to hide the electrical power connector plugs, telephone jack connector, or their associated cords.
Nevertheless, from devices such as those described above, more sophisticated methodologies of consolidating electrical power plugs and telephone communication jacks were developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,256, by Cottone, titled “Recessed Transformer Electrical Outlet Box With Integral Telephone Line Connection” describes an electrical wall outlet box for recessing a 120 volt alternating current transformer or power converter within the electrical outlet box while also providing a standard modular telephone jack connection on the wall or face plate. The outlet box is a single housing with an open front and an open rear and is divided into two sections or wells by an interior divider wall that is parallel to the building drywall. The 120 volt electrical power outlet (receptacle) is mounted to the backside of the interior divider wall and is mostly housed in the back well. The front well snuggly houses a moderately sized alternating current adapter. The outlet box is mounted between two-inch by four-inch wall studs via nail flanges mounted to and at a right angle with a sidewall. The depth of the sides between the open front and the open rear of the outlet box generally measure approximately 3½ inches, the approximate standard distance between interior room drywall panels in conventional housing construction. The wall plate includes both a conventional modular telephone jack to connect the building telephone wire to the base station via the telephone phone cord and an aperture to pass the alternating current adapter cord. The bottom side of the outlet box adjacent the front well includes an aperture for passing building telephone wire to the modular jack, and the bottom side of the outlet box adjacent the rear well includes an aperture for passing building electrical wire to the electrical power outlet. Although the device may serve to recess conventional electric plugs and medium-sized alternating current adapters, because the electrical outlet and the alternating current adapter are serially in-line between the building drywalls, the minimum depth of the outlet is limited. As such, the depth of the forward well may be insufficient for larger alternating current adapters. Additionally, the device fails to contemplate recessing the telephone connection jack, the electrical power cord, or the telephone phone cord. Nor does the device contemplate the mounting of the cordless telephone base station on the outlet box.
Thus, there is still a need for an apparatus for mounting a cordless device or telecommunication device which can accommodate larger alternating current power adapters and associated excess electrical power cord. There is also a need for an apparatus for compactly mounting recessed telephone jacks, telephone jack connectors, and an associated excess telephone phone cord. There is also a need for an electrical outlet box cover or wall plate capable of containing the telephone phone cord and electrical power adapter cord and to pass only the minimum necessary cord in order to “plug-in” the base station to an electrical and/or telephone outlet box. There also is still a need for an outlet cover that can function as a base station wall mounting unit.